


Duality

by mblack



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Manipulative Theo, nervous stiles, psycho theo, relationships, strong stiles, unaware derek, volatile theo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-05-29 22:45:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6397009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mblack/pseuds/mblack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is in college and loving it. He's in his prime. He loves his major, he is in great shape, and, for the first time, he has a few suitors at his door. </p><p>When Derek wants to become more exclusive, Stiles decides to end things with Theo. Little does he know, Theo has no intention of letting Stiles go.</p><p>*May have future noncon</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story excludes Theo being in Stiles' and Scott's childhood. Stiles and Theo met in college. Everything else is essentially the same as the series. This is a WIP and there may be future violence and noncon.
> 
> Warnings will be updated appropriately.

Stiles drummed his fingers with nervous energy on the café table where he sat. He was staring at the empty seat across from him with wide, anxious eyes. Things with Theo had been casual, and Derek and he were getting serious. Because of this, Stiles sat in a bustling café and was about to end things with the blond. While he and Derek didn’t have an “official” label yet, Stiles was not someone with the attention span, let alone the emotional capacity, to see more than one person at a time.

_Three dates. That’s all! Can’t I just let things fizzle?_

It was not often that Stiles had someone pursuing him that was not an I’m-going-to-eat-you kind of way, let alone two guys at the same time. This was not comfortable territory for the college junior. His gaze darted sharply toward the sound of the café door opening. It wasn’t Theo. Stiles breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at his phone. Still fifteen minutes until their arranged meeting time.

When he was younger, his method of dealing with this sort of situation was to just never respond to any text ever, and hope that the individual on the other end would somehow get the message. It usually worked…after a while.

But Stiles was an adult now, who handled situations like this in an adult way. At least, that’s what Scott had told him. Being direct was one of Stiles’ strengths- when someone was being stupid- not when someone was interested in him.

 _Is there a difference?_ Stiles smirked at the self-deprecating thought.

There wasn’t a lot of protocol for breaking up with someone who you hadn’t really been serious with. How much did Stiles owe the hottie who had bought him a drink at happy hour? It had turned into a coffee date a few days later, then lunch the next week. Their dates had hadn’t really escalated in intimacy, either. A kiss after the last date was the first time that they had touched since their greeting handshake at the bar.

In all honesty, Stiles had known after the last date that he was not interested in Theo, regardless of how things were going (amazingly) with Derek. Theo had this elitism that he wore like a nice watch- always on him, but usually up his sleeve. He had never been anything but kind to Stiles, but Stiles felt it in his gut. His gut was usually right.

If Stiles really had to debate between Derek and Theo (which he definitely did not), the biggest strike against Theo would be the way that he had ended their last date. While they were saying their goodbyes, Stiles went in for a short hug in order to, hopefully, cut Theo off in case he had planned to kiss Stiles. Stiles pushed his body close enough to make it not awkward but still far enough away to make it not intimate. Theo took advantage of his increased proximity and pulled Stiles forcefully up against his chest for a _very_ intimate kiss.

Stiles cut it short and pulled away as quickly as he could. He had been so flustered in the moment; he was unable to say what was on his mind. He couldn’t find the words to express his disgust or confusion. He quietly thanked Theo for lunch again, and walked brusquely to his car. Once safely in his vehicle, his steering wheel got the full extent of mixed emotions in the form of punches that did more damage to Stiles’ hands than the wheel.

Theo wasn’t a bad guy, and Stiles could (probably not) have just been reading too much into the things that Theo had said. Three dates really was not enough time to get the full picture of who someone is. Although, Stiles felt as though he'd definitely seen enough.

It didn’t matter, though. Derek had invited Stiles to his after work happy hour in order to meet Derek’s friends. This was a huge progression for Stiles and the sourwolf. This was something that a boyfriend would do. They were definitely heading in that direction, especially if Stiles had anything to do with it…which he did. So, as an important step in that direction, Stiles had to end things with Theo.

Stiles hadn’t told Derek that he had been on a few dates with someone else. Why bate the wolf?

Stiles' palms were sweaty and he barely bottled his hyper-energy. The two cups of coffee he had chugged when he’d arrived definitely weren’t helping. Stiles had been on the receiving end of the don’t-text-back-ever method of ending casual things. He knew he was doing the right thing, even if it was freaking hard.

Stiles unlocked his phone to read over his already memorized script. He tried to stay away from the cliché’s, although it really was Theo and not Stiles. He had a few lines in there about timing and something about maybe in the future. It was all very politically correct and straight-forward. He was ready. Then, Theo was in front of him.

Stiles had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Theo come in. _You got here 30 minutes early to be calm and ready, and he still has you off guard. Not a good start Stiles._

“Hello beautiful. Is this for me?” Theo reached for one of the empty to-go cups sitting on the table in front of Stiles.

“Oh- um no. Ha ha. I got a little thirsty.” Stiles attempted to regain his bearings.

“Okay well good. I’m already awake, anyway. ” Theo then leaned back in an all-too-natural slouch, and waited for Stiles to fill the conversation- as he always did. Stiles was starting to feel more confident about what he had to say. This guy was definitely not for Stiles.

“Listen, I wanted to meet to talk about…um- like us?” Stiles almost outwardly grimaced at how stupid that had sounded. So much for avoiding clichés. Stiles caught himself drumming his fingers on the table again, and made a distinct effort to keep his palm flat on the table. “I like you, and I’m glad that we were able to hang out and get to know each other, but I’ve been seeing someone else for a while, and things are starting to get serious with him.”

Theo’s demeanor immediately flipped. He dropped his smirk and sat up straight in his chair. “What?” He asked in a sharp tone.

“I know, I’m sorry it’s just bad tim-“ Stiles was cut off when Theo seized Stiles’ wrist on the table in a tight hold. “Are you kidding me, Stiles?” Theo forced out in quiet terse words.

Leaning forward, Theo's long torso made it three quarters over the entire table so that he was very much in Stiles’ personal space. All of his movements had been subtle and swift. They were fast enough to catch Stiles off guard, but not to attract attention from other tables. This guy was dangerous.

“Whoa! What the hell?! Hands off!” Stiles immediately went on the offensive. He jerked his hand out of Theo’s grip and stood up. This was the absolute worst way this could have gone, but now, at least, Stiles was fueled by his anger. He wouldn’t be holding back any of his thoughts now.

“Sorry, sorry. Stiles, I’m sorry.” Theo had pushed his chair back and held up his hands, as if Stiles was pointing a gun at him. “I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t know what came over me. Please sit down.”

Stiles was furious. What the hell? Here Stiles is, agonizing over this ass’s emotions, when the dude tries to attack him for trying to not waste his time! Stiles glanced around and realized that he had made a scene. Of course. How was this happening? He lowered himself to an almost perch in the small chair.

Stiles let out a quick breathe and whispered quickly, “This is freaking ridiculous. We went on a few dates. Literally- look the up the definition. I’m sorry if you thought we were exclusive, but we weren’t. I don’t want to see you again.” Stiles' eyes darted around his surroundings, mapping his exit path. He needed to leave as soon as he could.

“I know, I just thought you were feeling the same way I was. I really like you Stiles. ” Theo had put his hands down, and was now wearing a slightly pained expression on his face—as though Stiles was the volatile one at the table. “Let’s talk about this. You don’t need to end things.”

This brought Stiles minutely back to the compassionate state he had been before Theo had sat down. Theo was putting himself out there, looking for love. He was a crazy, explosive nut-case, but still.

Stiles sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. He didn’t need to justify himself. He had wanted to spare Theo’s feelings, and it looked like that ship had sailed. Time to leave. “Like I said, I’m sorry. I have to go.” Stiles stood and attempted to gracefully navigate his way through the too closely put together tables. He escaped with the level of grace he was known for; leaving only a few stumbled over chairs in his wake.

Considering the circumstances, he was proud of himself.

 

* * *

Theo watched Stiles struggle out the door of the café. He calmly stood up and pushed in his chair. He picked up the empty coffee cups that sat on the table, almost smiling as he imagined Stiles futilely attempting to calm himself while drinking two very strong cups of coffee.

The chimera disposed of the cups and walked out on to the street, where he was able to catch a glimpse of Stiles retreating around a corner.

Just because Stiles thought that they were over didn’t mean they were. They were over when _Theo_ said they were.

Stiles was his. Theo apparently needed to make this more clear.


	2. Chapter 2

“Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit. Freaking Stiles! Oh my **_GOD_**!”

Stiles was very flustered.

“‘Oh Derek! Why don’t you come over? I want to cook you a meal I’ve _never made before ever_.’” He mocked himself, “‘Oh? What’s that? You can only do the one _freaking_ day I have six _freaking_ classes in a row?!? No problem! Even though I _never have my shit together_ , this time will be different. I’ll definitely go shopping the day before instead of sitting on my ass and binge-watching **seven** episodes of Law and Order!’”

Stiles attempted to stop the pot where his gnocchi was starting to float from boiling over and dice his uncooked salmon at the same time.  Time management was something of a weakness for him.

Contrary to Stiles’ blustering, there had been enough time after his last class to go shopping, do meal prep, cook the meal, and have a preparatory glass of wine all before Derek arrived. However, instead of heading straight to the store after his last class, he spent thirty minutes talking to Lydia about how their Law and Criminal Justice professor wouldn’t know admissible evidence if it anonymously landed itself on his desk. Stiles then decided to go for a five mile run, to expend of some of his brimming excited energy.  Even after his shower, he spent close to twenty minutes in front of the mirror attempting to try a tamer style with his hair, only to get frustrated and decide to go with his usual wild mane.

Into the sauce pan the salmon went when Stiles’ phone buzzed for the third time since he’d started cooking. Stiles let out a noise that was a mixture between aggravation and desperation. He knew it had to be Derek. He had avoided picking it up so far, as his hands were still covered in flour and dough from shaping the gnocchi.

After a brief hesitation, trying to prioritize between leaving the gnocchi for another minute in the boiling water and checking his messages, Stiles rinsed his hands and picked up his phone.

New Message Received                               6:37pm

From Derek:

-Hey I’m gonna be a few minutes early. Hope you don’t mind.

 

New Message Received                               6:39pm

From Derek:

-I got red and white wine because you didn’t tell me what you’re cooking.

 

 

New Message Received                               6:45

From Derek:

-I’m 10 minutes out.

 

Ten minutes was a millennium. Stiles had plenty of time to pull out the gnocchi and towel dry it, light the candles-

The phone vibrated again in Stiles’ damp hands as he reached to stow it safely away from the range top. As he yanked it back to check the message, he hit the tip of the pot boiling water with the edge of his phone and the device fell in with an engulfing _plop_.

“ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!” He grabbed the spoon he’d been using to stir and fished his phone out as quickly as he could. Tearing open his cabinet, he hauled a bag of rice down from the shelf. He threw the rice into a bowl, towel-dried his phone, and then buried it down into the bowl.

Stiles sunk his head into his hands and leaned back into the crook in the countertop. He wondered what possible crime he had committed in a past life to warrant this kind of karma. His hands moved up into his messy hair and gripped the strands, pulling slightly- almost as a punishment.

 A deep breath later, he was back in cooking mode. The gnocchi ended up in a colander and on to a paper towel to dry. The salmon was finished cooking and he added it to the tomato-cream sauce.

Stiles had just changed his flour covered shirt when the doorbell rang. He ran to the door and looked through the peephole, a ritual his father had drilled into him since childhood.

He opened the door with gusto. Derek stood in his motorcycle jacket, bearing a bottle of wine in each hand. He looked (as always) as though he had just come from a photoshoot.

Stiles always somehow forgot the way he felt when he was in Derek’s presence. The physical change was almost immediate. All of his anxiety and frustration from his slapdash meal, his pants stained in various stages of the meal, and drowned phone disappeared. It was relief to see Derek for Stiles- both calming and energizing at the same time.

Before speaking a word, Derek’s expression morphed from a small smile to one of incredulous enjoyment.

“Hi. You have something in your hair.” Stiles realized that he hadn’t even bothered to glance at a mirror in his eagerness to open the door. He turned bright red.

“It’s the new style. Didn’t you know? No more hair dye. Just sprinkle some flour over your head and voila! Fashion statement.”  Stiles stepped out from in front of the door, inviting Derek in wordlessly. Derek grinned and headed towards the kitchen, pausing briefly to place an affectionate kiss on the younger man’s cheek.

“Oh, I had no idea. How Stiles-ish of you.” Derek quipped over his shoulder as Stiles closed the door and hastily teased the flour out of his hair.

Moments like that were why Stiles was falling for Derek.

“Oh my _God_ , take it back.” Stiles groaned, and slammed the door.

“Nope! Now, what should I pour: red or white?”

The rest of the evening proceeded at the same tempo. Slight barbs were thrown and easily returned.  Stiles was gratified when Derek gushed over the meal which reaffirmed the college student’s (possibly damaging) notion that he did his best work under pressure.

When they finished eating, Derek planted Stiles with a heavy glass of wine at the kitchen table, and cleaned the dishes.  Stiles gratefully sipped the glass, and absorbed himself in mentally compiling a list of how great he and Derek were together.

Derek put the last plate away, and the two cozied up together on Stiles’ couch. The cheap, 3rd floor-apartment offered a surprisingly beautiful view of the sunset.

Derek rested his hand on Stiles’ legs, which the college student had draped over his lap. A small smile fell on his face as he reflected on how they seemed to fit together.  They both sat silently, and basked in the glow of the sun, the wine, and each other.

“So what are you going to do without a phone?” Derek broke the silence.

Stiles sighed heavily. He had forgotten entirely about the loss of his phone. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to beg my dad for a new one, which sucks because he’s already lent me money this month.”

The older man laughed. “I have a few old phones that you could use.”

“Really? Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out!”

“No it’s fine. Besides, I am going to need to get in touch with you this week. Laura keeps bugging me to introduce her to my boyfriend.” Derek glanced at Stiles, and grinned. Stiles matched the smile and raised Derek wattage.

Their eyes met and the electricity travelled from Stiles’ expression. His heart beat accelerated, and the calm of the wine left him. His breath caught in his chest as Derek leaned down to plant a soft, sweet kiss on Stiles’ lips. Stiles flattened his legs and moved his hand to the back of Derek’s head to grip his dark hair. Stiles could feel Derek’s smile on his lips as the older man deepened the kiss.

Derek twisted his hips to position himself above Stiles. He braced his left hand on the couch arm behind Stiles’, and the right went to gently leverage Stiles’ head. Stiles let out an enticing moan as Derek nipped and licked at the base of his neck. It excited Stiles to be vulnerable to Derek. The werewolf was so powerful he could easily tear the human apart, but the touches that Derek left with Stiles were always thoughtful and gentle.

Derek returned his attention to Stiles’ mouth. Stiles eagerly returned the kiss. He lifted his chest to meet Derek’s and moved his hand from Derek’s face to his neck. Derek took the cue and allowed Stiles to take control. They stayed connected by their lips as Stiles straddled the now sitting wolf. He nudged Derek’s head with his own and placed a trail of small kisses leading to Derek’s neck. Stiles pulled back just slightly, so that Derek could still feel his presence but couldn’t feel him. He blew softly into the crook of the wolf’s neck, sending chills down Derek’s spine. Stiles then attached his lips to the crook of Derek’s shoulder and kissed him, careful not to leave any marks.

Stiles felt Derek’s hand on his neck which guided him backup to face his boyfriend. Derek placed his hands on Stiles’ hips and kissed Stiles softly. It was as though they needed to wade out of their fervor. Stiles laughed and clumsily rolled off of Derek and fell back onto the couch.

They had decided at the start of their relationship that they would wait a while before having sex. Derek had mentioned something about how he wanted both of them to be comfortable and something else about building to sex. Stiles knew it was the smarter thing to do, but it was moments like these that he wished that he and Derek weren’t so sensible.

“I have to get going. I have to be at work tomorrow at 7, unlike some people.” Derek quipped as he stood up. Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Well _some_ people are still students and have different demands on our time.” The human grumpily rose from the couch. Derek turned his back to walk to the door and Stiles wrapped his arms around the wolf’s shoulders and draped his entire body weight along Derek’s back.

“Stiles. I have to go,” Derek said. The tone of his voice would make someone think that he was annoyed. Stiles knew better, or at least, knew he could get away with it.

Stiles leaned more heavily on Derek’s back and point out matter-of-factly that he was not stopping Derek from leaving.

Suddenly, Derek swung his weight to one side and grabbed Stiles’ waist. Stiles found himself being carried, bridal-style to the door.

“That’s not fair. You _wolfed_ me.”

“Don’t pick a fight with a wolf if you don’t want to get wolfed.” Derek set Stiles down by the door and opened it. “Thanks again for dinner. It was delicious. I’ll drop off the phone after work tomorrow.”

Stiles brought himself out of his fake sulk to hug Derek tightly. “Thanks for coming! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”  They both pulled back and held each other’s eyes for a moment, solidifying the moment.

Stiles knew he was blushing as he closed the door behind Derek. It didn’t matter. He could be completely with Derek. Stiles smirked at the implication of being _bare_ with Derek.   _Soon enough_ Stiles thought.

He moved back to the kitchen to make himself a cup of herbal tea. It had become a habit for him as soon as he’d realized that he couldn’t have coffee after 1 PM if he wanted to sleep the next few days. As soon as he had closed the door to the microwave, there was a knock at the door.

Stiles let out an exasperated smile. Derek must have forgotten something. He bounced happily from the kitchen to the door, unclasped the deadbolt, and threw open the door.

It was not Derek.

“Hello Stiles.”

Theo rushed the door, catching Stiles off guard. Stiles stumbled back and attempted to run, but Theo was too fast.

Theo caught Stiles’ arm and yanked him backward. With his other hand he then seized Stiles’ neck and slammed him against the wall. Immediately Stiles tried to call for help. Before he could even open his mouth, Theo’s fingers closed tightly around his neck, cutting off Stiles’ air.

“So,” Theo closed the door, “you had company tonight? Didn’t take you too long to _get serious_ with that other guy did it?” Theo leaned in to whisper into Stiles’ ear. “I had no idea you were dating a _Hale_. That definitely makes things more _interesting_.” Theo released his grip just enough to allow Stiles to breath.

Stiles’ eyes widened as he gasped for air. How could Theo know that? Had he been spying on Stiles?

Stiles hands worked furiously to remove Theo’s hand from his neck, but the blonde’s strength was overwhelming. Stiles knew this kind of power, but was still shocked when Theo met his eyes with glowing blue irises.

“You’re a wolf?” Stiles managed to gasp out.

“Not quite, close though.” Theo’s voice was thick with the condescension that Stiles hated. “I’m actually a chimera.” Stiles’ brow furrowed. He racked his brain for some sort of reference of that kind of creature. He knew he had read something about it before.

Obviously amused at Stiles’ confusion, Theo continued, “Stumped? I'll help you out. The short version is I’m a mixture of whatever I manage to kill. I was originally transformed into a wolf a few years back,” Stiles felt Theo’s hand transform into a claw around his neck, as though to demonstrate. “But since then, I’ve been able to collect a few different powers here and there. One of which I think you’ve experienced before.”

One of Theo’s claws penetrated Stiles skin. Stiles flinched as he felt the blood trickle down his neck. He found Theo’s eyes and wondered what he was talking about. Then, Stiles realized the liquid that trailed down his neck was not entirely blood. There was too much of it to all come from the small wound.

A familiar lethargy crept through Stiles. “Kamina.” He whispered. His arms dropped and he was now fully supported by Theo’s hand at his neck.

“Very good, Stiles. Mine is a little different, though.” Theo dropped his hand and allowed Stiles to slide gracelessly down to the floor. Stiles glanced up at the creature above him. He tried kick and scream and run, but all that he managed were a few weak spasms. His eyes felt heavy. Stiles began to realize what was different about Theo’s poison.

“I’ll see you when you wake up.”

Stiles’ vision went dark.


End file.
